Chapter 138: Schemes and Calculations

Brother Peng immediately turned his gaze toward Water Snake. “Your goal is to become stronger, isn’t it? Who are you putting on this act for?”

Water Snake wore an awkward expression as well.

“All right, stop talking. I know what I need to do!” With that, he immediately began absorbing the energy, taking advantage of the benefits it brought him.

At that very moment, someone on a small island not far away had already observed everything through a telescope.

The man on the island had a long, deep scar across his face, a horrifying sight to behold, yet his expression was exceptionally resolute. He turned directly to his subordinate.

“Boss, what do you think of this situation?”

The man in the leather jacket stepped forward, a trace of coldness in his eyes.

“Good heavens, that fellow is hiding so many crystal cores on him. If we can bring him down, we’ll never have to worry about lacking a chance to rise again!”

“Kill him?”

The scar-faced youth standing in front trembled.

“Judging by his strength, he’s clearly extraordinary. Are we really capable of killing him?”

“Shut up!”

The man in power strode over and slapped him viciously.

“You coward! You can’t even handle something this simple. How can you call yourself my disciple?”

With that, he once again turned his gaze toward the others.

“Remember this well. From now on, all of you are to cozy up to him. If anyone dares leak the truth and makes them suspect my intentions, that person will die!”

After issuing his warning, the man began to grow smug.

As long as he found an opportunity to eliminate that fellow, the key to winning this life-and-death tournament would be solved!

Heh. Whoever that man was, and whatever fortuitous encounter had allowed him to obtain so many crystal cores, only one person in this world would survive.

As for the people around him, they were nothing more than sacrifices meant to help him accomplish his grand ambitions.

While the man in power indulged in his triumphant thoughts, the warship slowly drew near them.

He did not immediately approach Chen Yi and the others to curry favor. Instead, he pretended to have his men set up the cannons. Seeing this, Da Peng and the others hurried over to Chen Yi’s side.

“Boss, it looks like they want to fight us head-on!”

Chen Yi spread his wings and flew into the air. The sight left the man, who had been feeling rather pleased with himself only moments before, utterly stunned.

What was happening? He was actually a superpowered being!

The others were equally dumbfounded.

Although absorbing crystal-core energy could strengthen their bodies, none of them possessed any mutated abilities. Seeing Chen Yi’s power naturally left them shocked and at a loss.

Chen Yi’s expression was cold as he spoke slowly.

“Everyone, we have no intention of fighting. We came here only to ask whether you are willing to cooperate with us so that we can survive.”

“What is your name? Why did you seek us out?”

The man in charge deliberately put on an inquisitive manner and took the initiative to ask.

Chen Yi introduced himself.

“My name is Chen Yi. The people behind me are my companions.”

The man followed the direction of his gesture and nearly trembled from head to toe.

He had intended to scheme against Chen Yi, but he had clearly miscalculated.

How could the person standing before him be someone he could ever hope to provoke?

Just looking at the snakes and strange monsters surrounding Chen Yi was enough to tell him that if he harbored any wicked thoughts, those creatures might swallow him whole in the very next second.

After swallowing hard, the man was suddenly seized by fear. The resolve he had shown moments earlier vanished without a trace.

The subordinates beside him were bewildered by his reaction.

Why did their boss seem to be trembling?

Chen Yi had noticed the man’s reaction, but he suspected that the fellow was plotting some other scheme and therefore paid it little attention.

The man finally discarded the tangled thoughts in his mind and bowed respectfully.

“Hero, if you are offering cooperation, then naturally everything will be done under your command. My name is Zhou Sheng. I look forward to working with you.”

“Boss!”

Someone beside him suddenly rushed forward, frowning.

“How can you do this?”

Zhou Sheng shot him a vicious glare.

“You all pledged yourselves to me back then. You ate my food and used my supplies, so you must follow my arrangements. Now, being able to rely on these heroes before us to survive is already a great favor to you.”

Those words instantly infuriated the men who had followed him through life-and-death battles.

Ever since Zhou Sheng had begun ordering them to fight zombies and slaughter innocents for resources, they had regarded him as an almost godlike figure.

Yet now, this supposed divine figure was preparing to offer everything within easy reach to someone else with both hands?

The sudden turn of events caught his subordinates completely off guard. In an instant, the only thing left in their eyes was the blazing fire of hatred.

Zhou Sheng’s gaze turned ruthless as he planted his hands on his hips.

“What? Are you planning a rebellion? Let me warn you: stop causing trouble all day long. I will never allow it.”

Hearing him speak this way to the men who had sworn to serve him unto death, Chen Yi could not help but reconsider the idea of cooperation.

Cooperation was indeed one of the most necessary elements in the apocalypse, but it was not indispensable.

A person who did not know how to respect his subordinates was also someone who held no reverence for life.

Entrusting one’s life to such a person was hardly worthwhile.

For that reason, Chen Yi’s gaze instantly grew icy.

Noticing Chen Yi’s reaction, Zhou Sheng began to panic.

In terms of strength, he knew he was no match for Chen Yi. If matters truly escalated beyond control, the consequences would be dreadful.

“Originally, I thought we shared the same ideals. But now, I’ve changed my mind.”

Chen Yi paused for a moment before addressing the men beside Zhou Sheng.

“Those willing to join the New Life Squad and fight alongside us, come over. Those who are unwilling may remain with the man standing before you.”

“Wait!”

Zhou Sheng bared his teeth, his emotions plunging to the freezing point.

“So you’re saying that you intend to take them in while isolating me?”

Chen Yi gave no reply.

Yet in the next moment, the men beside Zhou Sheng began approaching Chen Yi in twos and threes.

Watching them change sides, Zhou Sheng was consumed by fury.

“You’re rebelling against me? I built this place from the ground up! What gives you the right to act like this?”

The deputy commander gave a cold laugh.

“Building this place was not your achievement. It was ours! Don’t claim every benefit for yourself!”

At the same time, a series of mournful cries rang out across the island.

As those cries drew nearer, mutated creatures began to approach.

No longer able to maintain his arrogant bearing, Zhou Sheng dropped to his knees before Chen Yi and spoke in a trembling voice.

“I don’t want to die. Please, save me, will you?”

Chen Yi disliked the man, but he still led Hu Sanhan and the others off the warship.

The deputy commander, who had just made his choice, hurried over as well.

“Boss, what should we do now? Give the order, and we’ll follow you!”